Katara's Diary
by PixxieHolloww
Summary: AU. Katara lives an ordinary life in school, getting straight A's. But when a new student comes to school, Katara's life goes downhill. What if the new student is all she needs to get back on track? -Zutara- UPDATED!
1. Rumors

**Hey, guys! This is an AU Zutara story that has nothing to do with all the other stories I've wrote. This is set in OmaShu, which has been modernized to fit the theme. No bending, no war, just the characters, high school, and coping with being a teenager. There are hints of Taang and Sukka in this story.**

**P.S. The characters all have the same age as in the series, and this isn't written completely in the diary form. It's just a diary entry typed in italics after each chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Katara walked over to the table in the cafeteria where she usually sits, with her brother, Suki, and Song. After finishing their food, Katara just spoke with Song and Suki for a while before Azula, Ty Lee and Mai all walked over to them. "So, it's all the same routine, huh? Even this year, all of you are still the same boring group you were last year. Haha, pathetic." After Azula and her "friends" left, Katara felt her temper rise.

"Why that little witch! Just because her father's the Fire Lord and is curently here in OmaShu, she thinks she's the queen of the world!" Katara said, frustrated.

Just then, the door to the cafeteria opened and a new student walked in wearing a 'My Chemical Romance' shirt and a black jacket with ripped jeans and some sneakers. His hair covered the left side of his face, but you could easily see the scar that covered that area. He sat down at an empty table in the corner and glared at those who stared at him, Sokka included.

"Who is that?" Sokka asked the others. Song was the one with the answer. "Who are you talking about? That guy by the corner? That's Zuko, Azula's brother. He just got back after he and his Uncle travelled around the world." she told them.

"How do _you_know that?" Katara asked her, suspicious.

"His uncle apparently drank some tea made from a poisonous plant a while back. My mother and I helped them, you know, before we moved back here?" Song told the three.

"So that's the owner of the footsteps I couldn't recognize." said a voice form behind Katara. Turning around, she replied, "Hey, Toph. What took you so long?"

"TwinkleToes insisted on taking a short cut through the gym. Unfortunately, _somebody_ here forgot the way back from the chem lab and we got lost."

"I said I was sorry, didn't I?" Aang said, walking over to them.

Then, the Principal walked over to their table, looking very urgent. "Katara, I need to talk to you in my office. Now." Before even waiting for an answer, Master/Principal Pakku grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Over at Azula's table (aka, the POPULAR table), gossip was going on about Katara being sent to the Principal's office.

"I hear she was caught making out with Jet in the janitor's closet!"

"That's not what I heard. They say that she spray painted the Principal's car because he gave her a B+ instead of an A-."

"You guys are nuts. The buzz is that she couldn't pay tuition, so she has to transfer to that other school downtown!"

In the end, none of the rumor mongers figured out the real reason for Master Pakku calling for Katara.

* * *

_Dear Diary,  
I was just given the most horrendous task today by Master Pakku. Come on, It sucks being the only one in the School Welcoming Committee. Then again, it's not my fault Toph, Song and Suki decided not to join. Well, other than that, all was well, except for maybe Aang getting his tenth detention this semester. If that boy can make it through the year without being expelled, it should be on the school paper's front page. Of course, that would NEVER happen, so why bother, right? Anyway, we had a new student today. He's the brother of the self-proclaimed school queen, Azula the demon princess. Speaking of Zuko, you'd never guess what my task was..._

_

* * *

_**The first chapter of my new project all wrapped up. Thanks for reading, and I'll update this as ASAP!**


	2. Encounters

**Hey guys! Thank you for the nice reviews. Just for trivia, the idea for Katara's diary is from my original story that I posted on FictionPress .Com, but never completed. I changed a few parts to make it better and so it would fit the Avatar character's backgrounds. Oh, and there is no war, and each nation has one "Lord/Lady", A.K.A. the leader(s) of the nation. My original story's name is "The Diary of Kimberly Anne", but I thought that saying 'the diary of insert name here" was too overused, so I'm fine with the title of the story now. Okay, so I'm blabbing. Enjoy the story!**

**P.S. Every five chapters or so, I do Zuko's diary instead of Katara's.**

* * *

The next day, Katara was waiting by the new student's locker. He wondered where he was, since Master Pakku said that he knows about Katara's task and was suppose to meet her there. When she was about to walk away, Azula just **had **to pass by. "Ah, so the wench from the south is hanging by my brother's locker. Interesting, did you leave him a love letter?" she asked, smirking. Katara fumed and was about to bite back when an unfamiliar voice beat her to it.

"Leave her alone, Azula. The principal sent her here." said a male voice from behind Katara. "Whatever you say, Zuzu." Azula retorted before leaving.

_Who the heck? Zuzu? _Katara thought. Then, the guy spoke to her from behind. "Are you Katara?" the person said.

Turning around, Katara said, "Yeah, I'm Katara. And who-" her words faded as she faced a much taller and scarred student. He was wearing dark jeans and a black jacket over a red shirt. Noticing that she was staring at his scar, he got irritated and replied in a monotone voice, "Zuko."

"Zuko, right. Uh, anyway, I'm Katara and welcome to our school. I'll be your tour guide around the school. Which part do you want to tackle first? The closest areas are the gym and the lab." she told him.

Then, the school bell rang. "I guess we should continue this after second period then." she said. "Show me your schedule." she instructed.

He grudgingly took it out and handed it to her. "Looks like we have the same schedule." she told him. "The only difference is you have Chemistry while I have swim practice." she stated.

Zuko was about to ask her if she was any good at swimming, but decided to change his mind. He followed Katara to the first class and sat down somewhere at the back. At the far back.

* * *

Jet walked over to Katara after second period and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Hey, babe, wanna hit the gym and watch me shoot hoops with the guys? It's us against your brother's team and the bald kid you hang around with." he told her.

Katara pulled away from Jet and said that she couldn't make it. Just then, Zuko came out of the classroom and walked over to the couple.

"Oh, right. Um, Jet, this is Zuko, the new student. Zuko, this is Jet. He's my...err," Katara was having trouble figuring out what to say.

"I'm her boyfriend." he said for her, stretching his hand out for Zuko to take. Instead, he just grunted. "Looks like Princey here is in a bad mood." he joked.

"Jet, knock it off." Katara told him.

"What did you say, punk?"

"That's enough. Come on, Zuko, we have to go." she said, grabbing Zuko's arm and leading him away. Turning his head around, Zuko glared at Jet before pulling away from Katara and following her.

* * *

It was lunch time, and Katara finished her lunch early. She walked out and was surprised to see Zuko waiting fo her. "Oh, you're done. Okay then, let's start. We just have to finish the gym and the botanical garden out back then we can finish off. Are you ready?" she asked him. He nodded and followed Katara to the gym. On the way there, Katara started stating facts about the gym.

"A basketball court, locker rooms, outdoor equipment, bleachers, gymnastics equipment. State-of-the-art, that's what it is. King Bumi supplied money for the creation of the room himself." When she opened the door, shock filled her brain and hurt filled her heart.

"Jet..."she murmured, staring at the scene before her.

Jet was pinning his lab partner, Nika, to the wall, one hand on her head, the other up her skirt.

_How could he do this to me?_ she thought. _I- Nika. I thought she was my friend. I just- I-_

Her eyes welled up, little droplets of tears gathering in her eyes until it was too much. The tears rolled freely down her mocha cheeks.

"I have to go." she told Zuko, wiping her eyes before running out. He took out his camera phone and took a picture of the couple before he coughed, just loud enough for Jet to hear. He looked up from his little task and stared at Zuko. Nika slipped away unnoticed and entered the girl's locker room.

"Wa- was? Ka -Kata- here?" he asked. Zuko just shrugged and walked away.

* * *

_Dear Diary,  
Today was horrible. Zuko was rude, to start with. Although I think I know why. It **is **rude to stare, after all. But that wasn't the worst part. Jet and Nika, I saw them at the gym and well, I_

* * *

**As you can see, Katara was too distraught to finish her journal entry. These first two chapters had nothing to do with my original story, but in the next chapter, I'll try to follow a bit of my original story's story line. Review!**


	3. Problems

****

Hey, guys! Thanks for making it this far into the story. If you're wondering why it takes so long for me to update, it's because I have to have two other chapters typed down. For example, before I can publish the very first chapter of my story, I have to finish this first. Before posting chapter 2, I have to finish chapter 4, and so on...

**Anyway, here's the third chapter. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

The next day was a Saturday, so Katara decided to go to the higher area of Omashu, to a place where only she goes to. A secret garden located behind the art gallery.

When Katara woke up that day, it was still very early. The sun hasn't risen but the rays shown from the horizon. She walked into her bathroom and filled up the tub with water. She loved water, and found it to be very relaxing. She spent at least half an hour in the tub, thinking about the events of the previous day. _Why, Jet? Why?_

Sighing, she stood up and dried herself off with a blue towel. Stepping back into her bedroom, she closed her eyes as she looked at a picture of her and Jet, both smiling and laughing. Tears made their way back into her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Turing back around, she chose to wear brown shorts and a blue long-sleeve shirt.

She sighed once more when she saw the teddy bear Jet gave her on top of her bookshelf.

* * *

Katara entered the train that would bring her to a higher level of Omashu. The train wasn't very crowded, since it was only an hour past sun rise. Five minutes passed before the train stopped at another station. **(A/N: Remember, this is sort of modern, with computers and cell phones and such.)**Only a few people entered the train and less exited at the stop. She paid little attention when someone sat down beside her. That is, until he spoke to her in a familiar voice.

"Do you feel fine now?" Katara turned her head around and was surprised to find her self face to face with the Fire Prince. Their lips were only a few inches apart, and she could feel his breath all over her face. Zuko moved a bit to the right so that he was half a foot away from Katara.

"I'm sorry I was rude yesterday." he told her, looking the other way.

"It's not your fault," she said, making Zuko look at her once more. "I shouldn't have stared at you in the first place. And thanks for asking me how I feel. I appreciate it."

"Don't worry, I feel fine after what happened at the gym. Nothing that bothers me too much. I feel fine." she said, but she knew it was a lie. She turned away from Zuko so he wouldn't see the tears that were gathering in her eyes.

Haru was one of her boyfriends,true, but the relationship was more of a good friend or sibling relationship, so they broke up. Katara knew he still had a crush on her, but at least he still has their friendship to hold on to. But with Jet, it was different. She liked him and trusted him a lot. Even to the point where she could say that she almost loved him.

"You don't look fine to me." came Zuko's reply. He handed her a handkerchief and she used it to wipe her eyes. "I'm exiting at the next station, I'm going to the art museum, you see." he told her. "Where do you stop?"

"I stop where you do." she told him. Just then, the train stopped. Both Katara and Zuko exited and they said their good-byes in front of the museum. "I'll just be at the back." she told him.

She walked around the museum into the garden that overlooks Omashu. Sitting down on a rock, Katara looked at the view from high up in the city. She smiled as the breeze blew her hair around. She looked back down at the buildings and felt tears gather at her eyes when she saw the Zen garden located on one of the lower floors.

**_Katara and Jet walked towards the Zen garden one night when the moon was up. Katara looked up at the moon, and then her watch._**

**_"Hey, Jet, listen, I have to go. My father expects me to come home early today. Anyway, thanks for a great third date." she said. She squeezed his hand and was about to leave when she felt Jet's grip tighten._**

**_"Jet, what are you-" she was immediately pulled towards him and was silenced by a rough kiss on the lips. This was the first kiss she shared with Jet. To tell you the truth, it was the first kiss she ever shared with anyone she's not related to. The kiss was brief, yet, not as rough as Katara thought Jet's kisses would be._**

**_"You're welcome." he says, before letting go of her hand and walking off into the darkness. Katara looked down at her hand. It was her mother's necklace that she lost two days prior to the date. Katara smiled before slipping the necklace into her pocket and heading towards the opposite direction._**

Katara closed her eyes and shook her head. She wouldn't let the tears fall. Rubbing the smooth surface of her mother's necklace, she felt relaxed and calm. She brushed her thumb over the stone once more before she heard footsteps coming her way.

"Well, well, if it isn't the wench. Your boyfriend hasn't called you yet, huh? Poor, poor, peasant." came Azula's snide remark. Katara stood up and turned around.

"Go away, Azula." she said. Katara was surprised when Ty Le appeared behind her.

"Sorry, but I can't. I have some business to attend to. I wasn't able to do it before, but with my father here, I'm free to do what I want." she said. With a snap of her fingers, Katara's hands were held behind her back and she struggled to get free.

"Let me go!" she shouted.

"Tsk, tsk, wench. You should know that you shouldn't shout at people higher than you." Azula drawled, a smirk appearing on her painted lips. "What should we do with her, Mai?"

"Whatever," came the Noble's reply. Azula walked forward and slapped Katara's face. She used her knee to hit her in the gut before Ty Lee pulled her across the grass towards an old tree. She propped Katara against the tree before Azula walked over to her. She bent low so her face was right beside Katara's ear.

"Remember," she whispered. "I can do anything."

Azula's hand turned into a fist before Katara closed her eyes. The blow that she expected never came. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see that Zuko had Azula's fist in his, stopping the punch that never reached Katara's face.

"Leave," he said in a deadly voice. "Now."

"Whatever you say, big brother." Azula said, teasing her brother before she left with her friends.

For a short summary of the rest of the day, Katara was taken to Zuko's Uncle Iroh's house, where both men tended to Katara's wounds. Iroh also gave Katara something to wear so she wouldn't have to wear her ripped clothes home. "They belonged to my wife," he told her. "I brought it to her after a short trip to the South." he continued, showing Katara a beautiful knee-length dress that had long sleeves.

The two chatted for some time while Zuko read a book. Katara and Iroh, whom she now refers to as "Uncle" also enjoyed a round of tea. Iroh gave her many different combinations.

Zuko also extended an invitation to a sleepover at his friend Jin's house the next day. Katara knew Jin, and they were a little less than friends, a little more than mere acquaintances. Katara used Iroh's phone and called Jin, who said it was fine if Katara came along for the night.

So when Katara got home, she sneaked into her room before her brother and her dad Hakoda could see her dress. Taking out her diary, she immediately wrote an entry, but writing about Jet stained the page with tears.

* * *

_Dear Diary,  
Today was a rough day. I met Zuko on the train and we both chatted for a while. I'm still a bit sad about Jet. Jet...maybe not a bit sad. I'm absolutely depressed. To make matters worse, Azula and her cronies thought it would be fun to beat me up. Luckily, Zuko stopped his sister from breaking my nose. I also met Zuko's uncle, Iroh. He's a friendly old guy that likes tea. He even gave me a nice dress to replace the clothes that his niece Azula soiled. Oh yeah, I got an invite from Zuko to come with him to Jin's Sleepover. I asked Jin, and she said I could come. Zuko's picking me up tomorrow night, so now I have to think of an excuse to tell Sokka and dad when Zuko comes. I can already see Sokka's reaction, and I don't really think that it would comfort me any._

_Still, it feels weird. Jet and I haven't officially broken up yet. I doubt he even knows about what I witnessed yesterday. We're still technically together, but now I'm going with Zuko to a slumber party...How ironic. It should be our anniversary next week. Suki and Song were right, Jet and I couldn't last a year. I'm tired from today, so I'm getting some rest right now. Time to tuck in!

* * *

_

**Thanks for reading my story, hope you liked it. A new chapter will hopefully be up soon, so don't you worry. Please review!**

**Also, constructive criticism is always welcome! If there is a way for me to improve this story, please, let me know.**


	4. Fights

**Hey, guys! Thanks for the great reviews, I appreciate them! This is the day of the sleepover, so Katara obviously brought her diary over. Well, since I promised you Zuko's diary (Zuko: JOURNAL!!) next chapter, I dedided that Zuzu's **_journal_** entry could be written late into the night. Ah, spoiling! Anyway, I'll try to update as fast as I can, I promise.**

**On another note, I'm so happy! If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to Youtube and search for the Finale Trailer they showed at the New York Comic Con. Zutarians, it will blow your heads off!**

**Disclaimer(because I forgot): All characters are property of their respective creators, Nickelodeon and parent companies. I make no profit from this and do not claim these characters as my own.**

* * *

The next day, Katara immediately started packing. She then told her father about her plans and he gave her his permission, though he was skeptical about having Zuko pick her up. When Sokka found out over the breakfast, he nearly spit out his Orange Juice.

The phone rang and Katara picked it up. Suki was on the other line.

"Hey, Katara, can you tell Sokka to pick me up later at around Seven-ish? I'm going to Jin's party and-"

"So am I!" Katara said excitedly. "Wait, let me go tell Sokka."

Two seconds later, Sokka was on the phone talking to Jin.

"Please? My sister and almost-girlfriend are coming over!" he pleaded. When he got the OK, he jumped with joy and thanked Jin thrice.

"I'll just go out, okay?" Katara said, putting on her coat before taking her umbrella and heading out the door. She walked through the streets for a while, savoring the chill that the rain gave her.

* * *

Katara stopped at Jet's front porch and sat down on the swing/bench for a while. She stayed there for a few minutes before she rang the doorbell.

"Coming!" she heard Jet shout. The door was opened and Jet appeared in front of her with his hair all messed up.

"Hey, Katara. Listen, I have to talk to you." he told her, inviting her inside the house he shared with some friends, Longshot, Smellerbee, Pipsqueak and The Duke.

"Are you hungry? Maybe we could go to a restaurant or something. My treat," he said with that charming smile of his.

Katara smiled but shook her head. "Jet, I have to talk to you, too. It's about Friday...at the gym."

Jet started getting nervous and refused to look at Katara in the eye.

"Oh, you mean when you refused to watch our game? That's all right, forgot about it already. Did I mention that we won?" he said, taking hold of Katara's hand. She pulled back and looked away.

"No, Jet. I meant what you were doing in the gym during lunch... With Nika... It's- it's over." she told him, heading out the door.

* * *

"I'll go pick up Suki now, okay, Katara?" Sokka told his sister that afternoon.

"Sounds good," she replied from her place on the couch. Sokka smiled a bit before he headed out the door. That was the first thing his sister said since she came back from her "walk" at around noon.

About an hour later, the doorbell rang. Katara picked up her heavy bag and slung it over her shoulders. '_Zuko seems early.' _she thought. Upon opening the door she was surprised to see Jet there. She dropped the bag and the two stood in an awkward silence.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," was her reply. She decided to look at the picture of her brother on the wall that she suddenly found interesting.

"So, wanna get a pizza, just like before?" he asked her, the ususal charismatic smile slowly turing into a thin line. "As, well, friends now, of course."

"I can't...plans." she said, picking up her bag when she saw lights coming up the road.

"Oh, right." Katara walked pass Jet when she saw lights coming up the road. She walked up to the red convertible that parked in front of the house.

Zuko walked out of the car and was about to take Katara's bag when he saw Jet in front of Katara's door.

"This- this is your- your plans!? You're replacing me with- with-" Jet approached Zuko and punched him in the gut.

"That's for Friday!" he shouted. He kicked Zuko's shin next. "And that's for stealing my girlfriend!"

Katara slapped Jet and told him off.

"The nerve of you! Zuko's bringing me to a party at Jin's house!" She said. Katara took the arm of Zuko, now in searing pain, and brought him inside. Jet was about to enter, too, but Katara slammed the door in his face.

Katara gave Zuko some ice, which he put on his shin and his stomach. "I am so sorry I got you in this mess." she told him. "It's not your fault," he said. They sat there for a few minutes before the pair went back outside and Katara picked up her bag from the porch.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at Jin's house.

"Sorry we're late. Zuko got into a bit of trouble." Katara told their host, supporting Zuko with one arm. Katara brought Zuko to the guy's room and went over to the bathroom.

She changed into a blue shirt with the words "Aqua Goddess" on it and blue pajama pants. Her hair, usually in a braid, was let down, showing chocolate colored curls cascading down her back. She walked back to Jin's room and was greeted by Suki, Song and, surprisingly, Toph.

"I didn't know you two were invited." she told the other two.

"Jin called us this morning. She said that she thought you should have some company." Song replied cheerfully. Toph just frowned and said she was gonna look for Aang. The three girls almost screamed when the blind twelve-year-old was about to hit the wall beside the door.

"Gotcha!" she said, turning around with a smug grin on her face. She laughed again before heading out the door.

"How does she do that?" Katara asked her friends, who just shrugged and turned away. Katara sighed and dropped her back pack beside an empty blue mattress. She took out her diary and decided to write in it before she took a little nap.

* * *

_Dear Diary,  
The day's events started out like any other day. But from breakfast onwards, everything was a roller coaster. Sokka got invited to Jin's party, and so did Suki, Song and Toph. I broke up with Jet around noon, and I just sat on the couch. When Zuko came to pick me up, Jet was there, too, so it's safe to say that Jet got violent when he thought I was replacing him with the Fire Lord's son. Right now, I'm in Jin's room, and I'm about to head under the sheets._

* * *

**Sorry for it being so short. I swear, I wanted this to be a longer chapter than the last, but it's so hard to do. But I promise, the next one will be longer, I swear. Please review, constructive criticism appreciated.**


	5. Stories

**Hey, guys! Thanks for the nice reviews, once again! I love reviews, especially those with constructive criticism. I'm sorry if everybody is OOC, but I'm still new to writing, even if I've been doing it for almost four years. So sorry. Anyway...Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer(because I forgot): All characters are property of their respective creators, Nickelodeon and parent companies. I make no profit from this and do not claim these characters as my own.**

**And just to clear things up, Jin is friends with Suki, Zuko, Haru and Teo. That's why there are boys in the girl's sleepover. I actually change the storyline so that there was a storm instead of a sleepover. Oh well, I'll do that in another story.**

* * *

Zuko woke up at around eleven that evening, a time when everybody else was asleep. The reason why? Classes were tomorrow so everybody had to wake up early so they could get to school on time with Jin and Sokka driving the girls and boys to school that day.

He yawned and stretched before going to the kitchen for a drink. He was surprised to see Katara reading a book in the living room, under the light of the moon streaming from the windows.

"Hey," he said, sitting down beside her.

"Hi," she said, not looking up from her book. Zuko looked over her shoulder to find out what she was reading.

"iThe Story of Oma and Shu/i?" he asked her.

"Yeah, you know that story?" she asked him, closing her book to look up at him. She was surprised at how close their lips were, so she backed away a bit. He nodded.

"Yup. It's about two lovers who were separated by war and met on top of a hill, or mountain, as some legends say. Then, the girl found out that her loved one was killed in the war. In despair, she went to the hill to wait for her love, but he never came. She waited for a long time, and that's how the city of Omashu came to be." he concluded. She nodded to him and tried to summarize the story.

"So...the guy and the girl were from rival nations?" she asked him.

"Yeah, opposites. You know, opposites attract? Like, say, Earth and Air, Moon and Sun, Day and Night-"

"Like Fire and Water." she finished for him. She put her hand on the left side of his face and pulled his head towards her. "Like Us,"

She closed her eyes, and so did he, their breaths caressing each other's cheeks. But before their lips met, ZUko pulled away. "It's complicated," he simply said, walking back towards the guy's room that he shared with Sokka, Haru, Aang and Teo.

Katara looked down book and gently slid her thumb over the carved spine. "Yeah, it is." she told him, but only she could hear.

* * *

After entering his room, Zuko took out turned on the lamp beside his cot and took out his journal. He wrote a short entry then added a little haiku. He was big on literature. At the very end, he added a sidenote.

He finished his entry then put his journal back in his bag. He turned off the lamp and just stared at the moon from the window. He went to sleep thinking of how much his mother said he was like the sun, and one person that he thought represented the moon.

* * *

_Journal-  
Well, today was awkward. I got beaten up by Jet, and by the way he was talking, I'd say he and Katara broke it off. Haha, the jerk. Other than that, I was close to kissing Katara, which I now regret because I pulled away before we could actually kiss. I said it was too complicated...but it is, right?_

_My flames embrace me  
As your water does to you  
You're Moon, and I'm Sun_

_The Story of Oma and Shu - Opposites Attract_

**

* * *

****Ah, major Deja Vu! From one of the last episodes in Season 2. Hope you liked this one, and sorry for it being so short! Also, I'm not very good with poems, or haikus, so sorry if it sucks. I know that Sokka's the one who's big on Haikus, but he'll get his moment later.**


	6. Touches

**Hey, guys! I want to thank you all for the wonderful reviews you sent. I'm trying my best to be able to reply to all of them.**

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of their respective creators, Nickelodeon and parent companies. I make no profit from this and do not claim these characters as my own.**

* * *

The next day deemed uneventful for everybody. Other than Aang getting another detention for being late to class five times in a month, everything was normal until the first break of the day.

Katara sat down at the fountain in the middle of the school. She continued to read her book until Jet sat down beside her. "Hey, Kat. I'm sorry for last night. I didn't mean to beat the living daylights out of the Prince, you know that. I just thought that you were replacing me so soon. I shouldn't have punched him. And I shouldn't have done that with Nika. I regret it, just please, Katara, please come back. _I need you_."

_Katara was walking around the school, she was waiting for Sokka to come and pick her up. She heard voices from the fountain area so she walked that way. She heard two voices, one was clearly male, the other from a female._

_Upon nearing the fountain, she recognized one of the voices. It was Jet, her long-time crush. Soon his figure, as well as somebody else's, came to view. The other person was Jet's girlfriend at the time, Krita._

_"Jet, it was my birthday, I can't believe you forgot. I didn't even get a present from you!" she told him, flipping her blonde hair. She was known as the school's drama queen, before Azula came to town and Krita left to find some other school to "conquer"._

_"I'm sorry, Krita, it slipped my mind. Krita, babe, don't get too upset." he told her. The way he talked was as if he didn't care that he forgot her birthday._

_"Okay then," she said, pecking his lips lightly. She pulled Jet by the hand and passed by Katara. Krita sent her a glare and held her nose high. Jet winked at Katara, making her blush. The two entered an empty classroom, and Katara could hear Krita talking about how "happy" she was that they made up and that Jet getting her a present._

_"Don't worry, babe," Katara heard him say from inside the classroom. "I need you,"_

"Katara, forgive me. I've changed. I shouldn't have beaten up that guy...What's his name? Prince Zekko, right? Yeah, that's right. Sorry for beating up Zekko. But he's Fire Nation, so his name doesn't really matter, right? Just, babe, please...take me back." Jet pleaded with her, wrapping his strong arms around her slender shoulders.

But when Nika and her group of friends - headed by Azula - passed by, Katara failed to miss the winks exchanged by the two. Angered by Jet's disrespect of her friend and by his still flirtatious ways, Katara closed her book and stood up. "If there's anyone you should apaologize to, Jet, it's Prince _Zuko_. And I won't take you back. Like I said, it's over Jet. It's over."

Katara walked away, no tears in her eyes, just hands clenched into fists and gritted teeth. But she failed to hear Jet's response. "It's not over, Katara. It's far from over."

* * *

"Hey, Katara. What do you say to a beach party tomorrow afternoon?" Suki asked Katara after the two reached their lockers, which are right beside each other. Before Katara could answer, the dismissal bell rang, and Aang, in another attempt to skip detention, ran towards the door, knocking Katara and her books out of balance.

"Sorry!" he shouted, whizzing past the other students to the door where he was stopped by the headmaster, who shook his head at him and dragged the boy towards his office.

Katara rubbed her head and took the helping hand that Suki extended to her, except, it wasn't Suki.

"Oh, thanks Zuko." Katara said, standing up. Katara, Suki and Zuko all kneeled down to help Katara pick up her books, as well as a few of Suki's.

When Zuko and Katara both reached for the open history book, their hands brushed against each other's, sending a spark of electricity through their bodies. And for that one moment, time stopped and there was only them, staring at their hands. Nothing else existed in this world. _Their_ world.

But as quick as it came, it vanished, and Katara took back her hand as Zuko picked up the book. It was on page 58, a page about the most recent Solar Eclipse. It got Zuko thinking about the night before.

_"So...the guy and the girl were from rival nations?" she asked him._

_"Yeah, opposites. You know, opposites attract? Like, say, Earth and Air, Day and Night, Fire and Water-"_

_"Like the Sun and the Moon." she finished for him. She put her hand on the left side of his face and pulled his head towards her. "Like Us,"_

"Here's your history book." he said, handing it over to Katara before standing up and leaving. She stared at his retreating back and sighed.

"When's the beach party?" Katara asked Suki minutes later.

"Tomorrow, at around sunset. It'll probably last until after the fireworks display tomorrow night. Oh yeah, we're all meeting at the cafe near the school. Put on your best dress, because we're gonna have a blast! I'm bringing the food. Sokka's choosing the location, Aang's bringing the music and Song's inviting the people." Suki laughed a bit before continuing. "And you'd never guess who she invited." she told her.

Katara asked who, but Suki jut zipped her lips and said she wouldn't tell until after tomorrow. Katara just sighed and walked home.

* * *

_Dear Diary,  
Jet tried to patch things up again, but I turned him down. He hasn't changed at all. Zuko helped me and Suki pick up our books after Aang knocked them down. Zuko and I reached for the same book, and when his hand touched the tips of my fingers, everything was so unbelievable, as if time stopped. It's so hard to describe it, but I still wonder though. What was it?_

_Solar Eclipse - When the Moon blocks the light from the sun for a fleeting moment. Many say that during this time, Agni reunites with his love La, the moon goddess. But Tui, the ocean spirit, pulls her away, making the Solar Eclipse, a very beautiful sight, rare to catch. My definition of it? When two opposites collide and meet with one short, yet sweet kiss._

_

* * *

_**I just took my cue from the many theories of Zutarians about Agni loving La. I don't know why, but I sort of like the hypothesis. Please review!**


	7. Kisses

**Thank you guys, you don't know how much your support means to me. Seven chapters, baby!**

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of their respective creators, Nickelodeon and parent companies. I make no profit from this and do not claim these characters as my own. I own none of the songs mentioned. They belong to Callalily, Evanescence, Britney Spears, and Avril Lavigne.**

**(I might never use those three artists with Britney Spears in the same sentence again. Ever.)**

**

* * *

**Katara woke up the next day as if nothing special was happening...Until she remembered the party later that day. She walked over to her closet and looked through her clothes. She chose a nice white skirt that reached until her knees and came with a blue tie-around belt. She paired it off with a knitted shirt with long sleeves that showed off her stomach in the slightest bit.

"Katara, hurry up!" Sokka shouted.

Around an hour later, the two siblings arrived at school.

"Sokka, Katara!" Suki called. She ran up to them and tripped, falling on top of Sokka. "Gee, Sokka, sorry." she said, trying to stand up. "Ow, my ankle! I can't walk."

Sokka, grabbing his chance, took Suki up bridal style and carried her to the room. Katara was laughing until she realized that she had to bring Sokka's bag to his class since he left it there. Sighing, she picked up Sokka's, as well as her own, bag and entered the school just in time for the Warning bell.

Right after school, Hakoda picked up his kids and dropped off Suki.

Katara stepped out of her room wearing the clothes she picked out, as well as blue peep-toe low heels and a blue dragonfly. She was wearing a braid down her back again, just like always.

Sokka was wearing a simple jacket over a blue shirt with a blue boomerang graphic. "Let's go?" he asked. Katara nodded and the two walked out the door and took a stroll towards a small cafe. They were surprised to see so many people outside.

"Hey, guys, glad you could make it!" Song greeted them.

"Of course I came, I'm choosing the location, remember?" he told her.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Anyway, I invited a lot of guests, but the regular gang is coming. Aang, Toph, Jin, Jet, Suki, though she probably wouldn't be doing any dancing...Oh, and Zuko's here, too!"

Katara blushed, then hushed when Song continued her rant. "Let's see, Yue, Hahn, Haru...Bad news is Azula and her group's coming along for the ride." the two siblings sighed and walked over to the waiting vans.

"Let's get this over with," Suki said. She got the attention of all the 14 guests and gave them seating arrangements.

"The first van, Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, Yue, Hahn, Jet, Sokka and I." she said. Ty Lee and Yue squeeled then glared at each other. Suki got pissed and Sokka just grinned sheepishly. She continued with her list, however.

"Second van, Aang, Toph, Jin, Haru, Katara and Zuko." Katara and the others got in. Haru took a seat to Katara's left and gave her a smile. She smiled back athen looked away uncomfortably. Zuko, on the other hand, sat on the last available seat in the van: Beside Katara.

* * *

The two just ignored each other for the rest of the trip with Katara having a light and friendly with Haru while Zuko listened to his iPod nano. Around ten minutes into the ride, they exitted the gates of Omashu and the road started to get bumpy. Without warning, Katara was thrown to the right, her head landing on shoulder.

"Ae you alright, Katara?" Haru and Aang both asked in unison.

"Why what happened to SugarQueen?" Toph asked.

"Zuko, did she hurt you?" Jin asked.

Katara just ignored them and apologized to Zuko. "Sorry about that, I'm just so clumsy...Is that...err, is that 'Sanctuary' you're listening to?"

Zuko nodded and handed her his second earphone. She gladly accepted and listened to the song, humming the tune.

_You are the kiss  
That makes me strong  
You are my sanctuary  
You are the warmth  
When I feel cold  
You are my sanctuary_

**(A/N: Kalyn19, this is for you. You said I was addicted to them, and I admit I am. Astig talaga ang Callalily!)**

"I love this part," Katara shared. Zuko merely nodded, making Katara frown.

"Bridges are my favorite part as well. It sounds different from the rest, so it gives you a whole new perspective to the song."

Katara looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back, but only Katara could see because it was so small. They both looked away at the same time and got off the van, with everybody else following.

"This is the beach we went to last summer." Katara whispered.

The others just sat around in the sand while the others fixed up. When the food was ready, everybody started eating.

"What is this? It looks so...barbaric..." Azula said, taking a bite.

"It's Sushi," Suki replied. "You know, raw fish?"

Azula spit out her food, glaring at all those who laughed at her, A.K.A. everybody but Mai.

When everybody was finished, they all packed up and Aang took out his iPod speakers from the van.

"Anybody care to volunteer their iPod for the speakers?" he asked. Zuko held out his nano and Aang plugged it in.

_Playground school bell rings again,  
Rain clouds come to play again,  
Has no one told you she's not breathing?  
Hello, I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to,  
Hello..._

"Hey, that song's not nice! It's creepy! Use my iPod!" Ty Lee said, cartwheeling over to Aang and giving him her iPod. He plugged it in and music started to play.

_Oops I did it again  
I played with your heart  
Got lost in the game  
Oh baby baby  
Oops!...You think i'm in love  
That I'm sent from above  
I 'm not that innocent_

Ty Lee stopped dancing when the music suddenl stopped. Everybody gave a sigh of relief.

"What's going on?" Ty Lee asked when she looked over at the speakers.

"A miracle." Mai muttered, earning a pout from Ty Lee.

_It's a damn cold night,  
Trying to figure out this life  
Won't you,  
Take me by the hand  
Take me somewhere new  
I don't know who you are, but I  
I'm with you..._

"Hey, this song's actually pretty cool." Azula said. Everybody gasped and she just raised an eyebrow at them "Who's iPod is it coming from, anyway?" she asked, making Katara raise her hand. "Hmm, the peasant has good taste." she muttered.

"So, Katara, wanna take a walk with me?" Jet asked her. Katara looked uncomfortable.

"Well, I- uh...I'd love to but, I have to..."

"She's going with me to ankle deep waters." Zuko said from behind Katara. He placed a hand on her shoulder and the two started walking towards the sea.

"Thanks so much for that," she whispered when they were away from earshot.

"No problem." he told her. "That was you iPod?" he asked. She nodded and they continued walking.

"I listen to everything. Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis, Jesse McCartney, Sara Bareilles, Mariah Ca-"

She was cut off by rough lips on her own. It was the same feeling as when their hands touched. As if nothing else existed but them, the sound of the waves, and an action called a kiss.

But like before, the feeling was fleeting, and so was the kiss.

"You talk too much," he told her, looking away. Blushing, Katara touched her lips and looked around them.

"Where are we?" she asked him, looking at the stone walls.

"We walked into a cave when you were talking." he told her.** (Hey, caves exist in beaches, too, you know! Like, a big rock form beside the beach. LolZ)**

"It's beauiful in here." she told him, looking at the crystals around them. It gave a sort of greenish glow to the surroundings. They were in the Crystal Catacombs.

Katara looked up at Zuko and stared at his scar. He flinched, but didn't turn away. She placed her hand on his scar and her thumb on his lips.

"Your scar..." she whispered.

"Katara?" she heard from a distance. The two broke away and Aang appeared. Katara walked towards him, leaving Zuko there in the cave. He followed her towards the exit and breathed in the ocean breeze.

That night, the boys, except Zuko, sat around a campfire they made and just talked and relaxed while the girls, minus Suki, were in knee-deep water, splashing each other.

But the main event, and was a fireworks display, with the lights show reflecting on the water, giving it a nice effect. Sokka had his arm wrapped around Suki, Toph and Aang were in their own little corner. And whenever Aang would gasp and talk about the fireworks, Toph would hit him.

Everybody else was scattered around the beach with Ozai's Angels in their own spot. Jet sat beside Katara, who simply ignored his small talk and just stared up. Zuko was beside her, too. And they just sat there as if nothing happened in the cave. But when two fireworks exploded at once, blue and red, their hands inched towards each other until Zuko's was on top of Katara. She rested her head on his shoulder and just enjoyed the fireworks display.

* * *

_Dear Diary,  
I kissed Zuko today, for real this time. And it was in this beautiful cave, too, full of crystals and stuff. And I touched his scar. I didn't ask if I could, but he let me, so...is that a good sign? I see him everyday, it's sorta weird, 'coz we've only known each other 6 days. I can't wait for the weekend. I'll make sure it's Zuko-free!_

**Yes, you heard it right, chapters 10 and 11 are Zuko-free! Well, for Katara's point of view, anyway. Remember, chapter 10 is Zuko-centric, like chapter 5.**

* * *


	8. Dreams

**Hey, guys! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! Yes, they kissed. Yes, I brought in the Catacombs. Yes, I even made serious deja vu. Oh well, enjoy! Also, I am so sorry for the terribly long wait. I've been busy the past few days, but anyway, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of their respective creators, Nickelodeon and parent companies. I make no profit from this and do not claim these characters as my own.

* * *

**

_They were walking through the beach, the one they spent their anniversaries in. She laughed at him and smiled. They ran around the beach, just enjoying their time together. The two held each other, walking towards a cave somewhere nearby._

_The girl gave him a hug, resting her head on his chest. "I love you," she told him._

_"I know..."_

_"You love me, too, don't you, Zuko?" Katara asked, looking up at him. He cupped her chin and planted a kiss on her lips._

_"No..."_

* * *

Katara woke up and looked around. It was dark around her room. She took her iPod from her bedside table and checked the time **(A/N: Seriously, I check my iPod instead of my cellphone for the time.)**

Katara sighed, 1:38 AM. She woke up from a bad dream, that she was sure of, but she wasn't sure about what the dream was about. She touched her lips. "A kiss? Is that what my dream was about?" she wondered out loud.

She couldn't go back to sleep, so she instead took her laptop she got for her birthday and turned it on. Signing in, she typed her ID and password and logged in under the username **PaintedLady**.

She saw that Aang was online and decided to chat with him.

PaintedLady: Hey, Aang! What are you doing up?

AirbenderAvatar: I'm sleeping late so I can fall asleep during detention instead of sit through it all.

AirbenderAvatar: Wait, brb.

PaintedLady: Ok.

AirbenderAvatar: jhefgiykah2dvguc435n ieoak34562sh-dhbdj

PaintedLady: What the heck? Aang? 

AirbenderAvatar: sb fibs iiods hps obfbioewf

AirbenderAvatar has chosen the Happy Tree Friends IMvironment.

AirbenderAvatar: Sorry about that, Toph decided to mess around with my laptop. And since she's blind, she couldn't really type anything...coherent.

AirbenderAvatar has disabled the IMvironment.

PaintedLady: Really?

AirbenderAvatar: Yeah, didn't we tell you? Monk Gyatso and I are staying with the Bei Fongs because of some renovations at the temple.

PaintedLady: If Monk Gyatso finds out about your detentions, you're gonna be in a lot of trouble...

AirebenderAvatar: Yup.

AirbenderAvatar: Wait, I can hear Toph's mom coming. Bye!

AirbenderAvatar has signed out.

Katara sighed and turned her laptop off.

* * *

_A 17-year old Katara had her feet and hands chained to the wall. Her clothes were torn and ripped while her hair had come out of its braid and now just framed her blood-caked face. One of her shoes waw missing, and the only part of her that remains untouched was her mother's necklace. The bruised teen looked up when she heard the metal door creak. Inside came a strong looking man with shaggy brown hair and two hooked swords on his back, dragging a half-conscious 19-year old Zuko to the other side of the room. He slammed Zuko's back against the wall hard and started punching him in every place imaginable._

"_Zuko!" she heard herself scream his name, but to no avail, the man just continued to take the life out of him. She started crying, tears of anguish and pain flowing freely from her blue orbs, but she couldn't wipe them away, since she was chained. "Stop! Please! I beg you! Don't hurt him!" the tears stopped flowing when she noticed that the man had stopped._

_He turned around to face her and she gasped at what she saw. _Jet._ "Hello, Katara. Sorry I can't stay to catch up, but I have to make sure Prince Zuko here is ready for his funeral." He turned back around and lifted his sword high above his head and brought it down, delivering the final blow to kill the prince. Katara started sobbing, crying more than she had ever done in her life._

_She lost another person important to her. Another person who held meaning to her. She lost everyone she ever cared about, everyone she ever loved. She already lost her mother, now Zuko was gone too. She closed her eyes, refusing to see the result of Jet's fury. She sobbed once more, hearing his voice one last time._

_"Katara."_

_"Zuko!"_

_"Katara..."_"Katara!" Sokka shouted, making his sister scream. She fell down the bed, wrapped in her comforter.

* * *

"What is it, Sokka?" Katara asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"We're LATE!" he shouted. Katara jumped up and looked Sokka over. He was already dressed in his casual attire and carrying his books.

"Oh no!" Katara said, jumping up and running to the bathroom that adjoined hers. She forgot the blanket, causing her to, well, trip.

"Haha, gotcha!" Sokka said, laughing hysterically. Katara glared and looked at her alarm clock. "FOUR: THIRTY!?" she stood up and untangled herself while Sokka laughed on the floor, unable to get over his laughing fit.

"I'll get you now!" she shouted, jumping on her brother. She started wrestling him on the floor, stopping him from laughing.

"No you won't!" Sokka said, tickling his little sister's belly. He stopped and remembered a time when they were still little kids.

_"Socky, what did you do to my doll?" a five-year-old Katara asked her big brother, holding up her beheaded doll._

_"I used her as the bad guy when I was playing with my action figure." he told her, looking up from his dolls...I mean, action figures._

_"Socky, you big meanie!" she shouted, running towards her big brother. She tripped over his pillow and scraped her knee. She started crying and Sokka walked up to her._

_"I'm sorry Katara." he said, but she wouldn't stop crying. He started making funny faces, and Katara started to stop crying. She spotted her doll and started crying again._

_"Katara, mom might hear you!" he did the only thing he could: tickle her. She started laughing, and a tickle-fest ensued._

_The door opened and two figures walked in. "What's going on here?" their mother asked._

"What is going on here?" their dad asked.

Katara looked at him weird, and Sokka thought that they had experienced the same amount of deja vu.

_"Tickle-fest?" the two kids answered._

"Tickle-fest?" the two teens answered.

Hakoda stared at them and hugged them, joining them on the floor. "I miss your mother."

* * *

"Hey, Kat." Suki said, running up to her.

"Hey," she said. Katara smiled and gave her a wave.

"You seem tired, watching horror movies again?" she asked, catching up to Katara.

"Three words. Late. Night. Tickle-fest." she said.

"That's four," Suki countered.

"Tickle-fest is one word in my household." She said.

"Sokka's idea," they both said, laughing afterwards.

* * *

_She dove into the pool, savoring the feel of the water around her. Cooling, Calming, Relaxing. But that feeling was fleeting, just like his kiss. She kicked her self, further, further, just until her hands brushed the smooth tiles of the pool, just like her fingers brushed his._

_She reached the end and her head broke the surface. She gasped for air, just like after their lips touched._

"Good work, Katara." her coach, Bato **(I couldn't have used Pakku, so...)**, told her. He was a family friend. Cctually, he was her father's best friend.

"Thanks, coach." she said, climbing up the ladder. He left her in the second gym and exitted through the..uh...exit.

The door opened again and Katara expected it to be Sokka waiting for her so they could leave, so she just stood up and shook the water from her arms. She took off her ponytail and twisted the water form her hair. "I'll only be a few minutes more, Sokka" she said. She didn't care that Sokka might see her in her one-piece, he's seen it on her already. Of course, Zuko as another problem.

"I'm not Sokka." Katara widened her eyes at the familiar voice. _Shoot!_ she thought. She felt a towel land on her head and quickly picked it up, wrapping it around her self. She turned around and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Zuko was turned away. "I'll...uh, be a few minutes. Wait there." she said, running towards the locker rooms.

Zuko was still blushing, but stopped when he thought of how Sokka might react. He shuddered and shook his head. He heard the distinct sound of a footstep and turned around. Someone walked out from behind the bleachers. Jet.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, chewing on a piece of grass. Zuko gave him a disgusted look and turned back to the locker room door.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Jet said, placing his hand on Zuko's shoulder and turning him around. "What are you doing here?" he asked again, his voice dangerously low.

"I'm picking up Katara because Sokka asked me to." Zuko replied, shoving Jet away.

"That's not your job, she's not your girlfriend!"

"Well, I was asked! What are you doing here anyway?"

"Picking up my girlfriend!"

"Which one? Nika or Jin?"

Jet couldn't take it anymore, he punched Zuko in the face, who in turn kicked his gut. In the end, they managed to bring the fight around the pool towards the equipment.

"Wait a minute, I don't wanna fight anymore." Jet told him, a plan hatching in his mind.

"Me too," Zuko said. "For Katara's sake." Jet turned away, as did Zuko. Big mistake.

He picked up a plank of wood from the floor** (don't ask about it) **and hit Zuko on the head. He fell to the ground, unconscious. "I'm not much of a killer, but your nation did kill my parents. Good bye, Prince Zekko." And with that, and a small kick from Jet, the prince fell into the pool.

"Zuko!" Jet heard Katara shout. He looked up and saw her running towards the pool's edge before jumping into water. Jet took his chance and ran out the exit, making sure he wouldn't be blamed for this mess.

Meanwhile, Katara grabbed Zuko by the arm and brought him up. He was still unconscious. She managed to pull him up the pool's stairs and laid him down on the floor.

Sokka entered the room. "Katara, what's taking so- Holy seal jerky dipped in cheese, what happened!?" he ran towards Zuko and kneeled down beside him.

"Sokka, keep pressing his chest down. Let's try to get some of the water out of his lungs. And do it rhythmically with your heart beating. He nodded and did what Katara said.

She kneeled over him and pinched his nose. She breathed in deep and breathed out into Zuko's mouth. _Please be okay..._

She repeated the process over and over until Zuko came to and coughed up water.

"Aw, eww! He got barf all over my shoe!" Sokka exclaimed. Katara glared at him and helped Zuko up. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded his head and staggered towards the door. "Do you need help?" she asked, but he just shook his head.

* * *

_Dear Diary,  
I feel bad for Zuko...I mean, he's only been here for 7 days and he's gotten into a lot of trouble...A lot of things happened, as well. He saves my life, he gets beaten up by Jet, I go to a party with him, we almost kiss, we go to a beach, we kiss, I start dreaming about him, he almost drowns...Poor Zuko...it's all my fault...But I think we've gotten too involved with each other...Hell, I've met his Uncle!! La, what must I do?_

_

* * *

_**Oh. My. Effin. Gosh. The longest chapter EVER!!11!!1!! I hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	9. Plans

**Hey, guys! We've gotten this far! I hope you enjoy this, because I make it up as I go along...**

**Too lazy for a disclaimer...yawn...**

**Also, have you guys heard about "Sozin's Comet"? In case you do know have it, please refrain from posting spoilers in a review. Thanks!**

* * *

Katara walked towards the door to the classroom, in a rush after she overslept. She burst into the classroom just before the bell rang. Sighing in relief, she sat down beside Suki, who passed her a note.

What happened yesterday?

Katara gave her a disapproving look but replied anyway.

**Someone kicked Zuko into the pool.**

Who?

**I don't know.**

That all?

**Yup.**

"Katara! Passing notes in class is a violation of the school code. Hand it over," Yu, her teacher, said. Katara shook her head at him. She wanted to keep the incident private.

"No, sir. It was all a misunderstanding, no need to take this away. I-"

"No, Katara. As an active member of the school community, I expected better from you. Hand it over."

Katara sighed and was about to give the paper when Zuko, directly behind her, stood up. "Sir, may I speak?"

"Why, of course, Prince Zuko, talk as you wish." he said, obviously kissing up to the prince. Zuko felt disgusted, but kept his face passive nonetheless.

"If I may, Katara, Suki and I were exchanging notes about your subject, as well as a private matter I would rather not divulge to you, or the entire class. If possible, I would like to have those notes kept with us, instead of you."

Yu nodded his head and carried on with class. Katara turned around and mouthed a 'thank you' before turning back to class.

Out in the hallway...

"Hey, wait up!" Katara said, running towards Zuko. He stopped and waited for her. When she gets there, she takes hold of his shoulder and starts panting because of the running she did. She looked back up and was surprised to see that their faces were only a few inches away. She expected him to kiss her again, but wasn't at all surprised when he stepped back.

"Thanks for helping us out back there."

"No problem." he said, before walking towards his next class. Katara followed behind him and took her usual seat by the window. Her art teacher, Ina **(A/N: She's one of my favorite OC's, have you guys noticed?)**, walked into the classroom just after the bell rang.

She was wearing a red button-up shirt and a black pencil shirt with high heels. She was the fantasy of most of the senior guys, but she chose to ignore them all the same.

"Class, today will be the start of your art project." she told them, sitting down behind her desk. Many of the students groaned, while all the others waited for her to continue. "This one will be made in pairs." Cheers erupted from the class, most of them quietly discussing who they would pick as their partner.

"The teachers and I mulled over it today, and we all arranged the partners, so no choosing." Groans filled the room once more.

"Let's see...Erya and Sakura, Ty Lee and Yue..." Katara zoned out the teacher's voice and stared out the window.

"Katara and Zuko." Katara's head snapped up and she stared at Zuko, who was intentionally looking away from her.

* * *

"What do you wanna do for the project?" she asked him. He looked thoughtful for a while, then came up with an answer.

"Well, photography is a form of art, as I recall Ms. Kya saying a while back. Maybe we can take pictures of different sceneries?" he suggested. Katara mulled the idea over.

"Can you draw?" She asked him. He nodded his head and took out a piece of paper form his bag. It was a drawing of a dragon. "Wow, you're good." she praised. He shrugged.

"What about we take different pictures, then you can sort of like, draw your own version. Like if we take a picture of the beach, you can start drawing it form the same angle and stuff like that."

"That's not a bad idea." he said.

"Where do we go first then?" she asked.

"Simple. Vacation is just around the corner...Let's go to Ember Island..."

"You can't be serious..." she said. Zuko sighed and looked her in the eye.

"My uncle-"

"Iroh," Katara said. Zuko glared at her for interrupting and she coughed. "Go on..."

"My uncle, _Iroh_," he said, glaring at Katara who only giggled. "...he said that I should invite someone to our home there. He told me to invite my 'friends' over for a week. And well, you snd your group are my only friends, so..."

"Sure, I'll ask my dad about...But who else are you inviting?"

"Probably Sokka, Suki, Aang, Toph...Song, obviously. Uncle would kill me if she didn't come..."

"Ok then, I'll ask them later." Zuko gave her the smallest of smiles and nodded.

"But we can't do that first. We still have about a week before vacation, and we have to start now."

Sighing, Zuko replied, "Ok, then. I'll pick you up this Saturday. C'ya." he said, standing up.

* * *

_Dear Diary,  
There goes my Zuko-free weekend! Looks like we have a project to work on. And I was so looking forward to my alone time! He's picking me up this Saturday... Why do I have this sudden wish to look good for him? And I feel so guilty about Jet, even if he is such a jerk...I mean, I kissed someone else just three days after we broke up...Does that make me a bad person?_

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**Okay, I need at least 48 more words to reach 1,000 on the word count...Wait for it...So close now...Right about...Yay, I finally did it!**


	10. Questions

**Hey, guys! Sorry, nothing for me to blab about here? Disappointed? I know, I am, too...Oh wait, I DO have something useless to blab about today! Today's chapter is once again Zuko-centric! Also, I am so sorry for the long wait. I'm trying my best, I promise I am. It's just hard when you're starting to run out of ideas for this fic..and my finals ended just a few days ago... Oh well, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of their respective creators, Nickelodeon and parent companies. I make no profit from this and do not claim these characters as my own.**

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**Zuko woke up in his room and looked around. Red paint covered the walls of his big room, with tapestries and sheets of red silk hanging along the wall. He swung his legs out from under the sheets and got up off of his king sized bed.

An hour later, he descended the steps wearing baggy black jeans and a red shirt with a black dragon over it. He sat down on one of the chairs and looked around his Uncle's place while waiting for the food. He had been living with his Uncle for the last 2 years, ever since he recieved his scar. He never spoke to anyone about it, not even his Uncle. And when Katara had asked him a few days prior, he had the urge to tell someone about it. And he almost did, too. Almost.

"Ah, Zuko. I'm afraid that we don't have any food today. I spent our weekly expenses on tea for the Jasmine Dragon. But I'm sure you don't mind, since you hardly ever seem to finish your breakfast anyway. Instead of breakfast, nephew, we'll have tea. How does that sound, Zuko?" Iroh asked him, carrying a tray of steaming hot tea. He set the tray down and placed one cup in front of Zuko.

The two exchanged the usual "Good morning", but other than that, no words were spoken while the two sipped their tea. A few minutes later, he stood up and mumbled a "Goodbye" before heading out the door.

Iroh sighed. "That boy, getting gloomier by the day." he said, refilling his cup before sipping on it again.

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"Please?" Katara asked him again, for the tenth time. And that's just during lunch.

"For the last time, I'm telling you tomorrow." he replied, irritated. She finally gave up and continued eating her food. It was the usual table arrangement, only now it has Zuko. Sokka, Suki, Aang, Toph, Katara and Zuko. Beside them was another table, with Haru, Teo, Song and Jin.

"So, Katara, I was wondering...if you're not busy tomorrow, maybe we could...you know, get together?" Haru asked shyly, his face a vivid shade of scarlet. He turned away when he saw Sokka's glare directed at him. Zuko felt something suddenly gnaw at his stomach. Is it jealousy? Nah, it couldn't be...could it?

Katara offered Haru a smile, but shook her head. "I'm sorry, Haru, but I can't."

"Thank you, Katara." Sokka said, acting sophisticated about the whole matter of Haru asking out his sister...When no one was looking, he stuck his tongue out at Haru.

"No, really. I can't go tomorrow. I already made plans with someone else." she told them, her eyes flickering to Zuko for a second. Steam LITERALLY left Sokka's nostrils and ears while Haru's face fell.

"Katara, I am NOT letting you go out tomorrow, you hear me? For all I know, you could be going out tomorrow with- with..._you_!" he shouted, standing up and pointing an accusing finger in Aang's direction.

"Nope, I'm going to Toph's."

"Then it was _you_!" he exclaimed, jumping on to the table and pointing towards Zuko.

"Err..."

"Sokka, sit down. People are staring!" Suki hissed, pulling him down by the shirt.

"Whe-where are you going?" Haru asked from the other table.

"Actually, I don't know. Where am I going?" Katara asked, looking over at Zuko. He shrugged and looked away, recieving a sigh from Katara. Honestly, he found her so childish.

"So, did you finish that book you were reading?" Suki suddenly asked Katara. Zuko looked back at Katara, and memories of their encounter at Jin's place flooded his brain. He caught her gaze and, by the light blush on her mocha cheeks, guessed that she remembered as well. The two looked away from each other, and Suki raised an eyebrow.

"Katara?" No response.

"Zuko?" No response.

"Hey, Sugar Queen!" Toph, who was beside Katara, shouted, surprising Katara.

"Huh, what?" she asked. Zuko snorted and she glared at him.

"Did you finish your book?" Suki asked again. Katara shook her head at her.

"But you've been reading that for almost a week." Zuko interrupted. Everyone, minus Toph, stared at him. "What?"

"How do you know that Katara's been reading that?" Aang piped in. Zuko looked at Sokka, who was red with anger. As in, really, really red.

"Uh..." He used all his might to hold down his blush, remembering him almost kissing Katara that night at Jin's house.

Just then, the bell rang, and Zuko let out a sigh of relief. Katara did so, as well.

"Uh, ok then. Come on Zuko, time for art!" she said cheerily, albeit very nervous. Zuko felt his arm being grabbed, and accidentally spilled some milk on Sokka.

"Sorry!" he shouted as he was being dragged away. When they rounded the corner, Katara let him go and stared at him, hands on her hips.

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

"Where are we going tomorrow?" she asked, staring into his gold eyes.

"No." he replied back, glaring at her.

"Tell. Me."

"Never." She let out an sigh and grabbed his arm and tried to drag him back. He pulled his hand away and glared at her.

"Stop dragging me around like a rag doll."

She shook her head and grabbed his hand again.

"I'm serious."

She threw her hands up in the air and walked away.

Zuko slapped his forehead and sighed. Sometimes - Most of the time - he thought that Katara was being childish just to spite him. He gave another sigh before following close behind her, glaring at the people who stared at them.

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_Journal-  
Katara is being childish and stubborn...Again. I don't know what the jerk Jet and that other guy Hiro see in her. Oh wait, no. His name's Haru, yes. Haru. Whatever they see in that big baby, I will never know..._

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**Long wait is over, here is your chapter! I'm sorry again for the wait, but I seriously tried, really! I am so sory, you guys. I'll make up for it somehow...**


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